Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter. (Voice of police dispatcher): “Calling all cars! Calling all cars! Be on the lookout for escaped commas. Last seen after years ...

Break in Thought or Abrupt Change. On the worst possible day — what was I thinking of? — I hit the boss for a raise. Smith offered a plan — it was unprecedented — to raise revenues. Appositives.

Here’s an interesting question posed to me recently: Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly? Look for fresh basil at your local grocery store, and, if it isn’t available, tell the ...

In a world of texting, email and casual sign-offs, good language still counts. Observe this high-stakes grammar lesson: A U.S. appellate court decision between a Maine dairy company and its delivery ...

Contrary to popular belief, commas don't just signify pauses in a sentence. In fact, precise rules govern when to use this punctuation mark. When followed, they lay the groundwork for clear written ...

There's a well-worn joke that if you call a copy editor anal-retentive, he'll look that up to see if it's hyphenated. It is, I am, and it's my job. Many people can give dignified one-word answers to ...